Appropriate Infant and Yung Child Feeding

Abstract

Optimal infant and young child feeding practices rank among the most effective interventions to improve child health. Suboptimal infant and young child feeding leads to various forms of undernutrition including underweight, stunting, wasting and micronutrient deficiencies. Undernutrition is a major public health problem in low- and middle-income countries contributing to 45% of deaths among children under 5 years of age. Undernutrition puts children at greater risk of dying from common infections, increases the frequency and severity of such infections, and delays recovery (1,2,3). It is also a major condition that prevents surviving children from reaching their full developmental potential. To prevent undernutrition, mothers and family members need to be supported by healthcare professionals to initiate and sustain appropriate infant and young child feeding practices. In doing so, it is critical for health  professionals to have basic knowledge and skills to give appropriate education to help child feeding difficulties.